Year In Review
An Equitable Approach to Environmental Policy Research
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Founded in 1977, the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR) promotes rigorous, objective research for improved environmental decision-making in the public and private sectors, and secures the relevance of its work through close cooperation with industry partners from around the globe. Current research areas include energy supply and demand, climate change, and nature conservation.
Promoting socially conscious decarbonization
The Roosevelt Project, one of CEEPR’s most innovative and impactful research initiatives, is led by former U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest J. Moniz (Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems, Emeritus; Faculty Director, Roosevelt Project) and Michael J. Kearney (Executive Director, Roosevelt Project). This interdisciplinary team of MIT and Harvard researchers explores how we can navigate the shift toward a low-carbon economy while ensuring that under-resourced socioeconomic groups, geographies, and economic sectors are not marginalized or left behind in the process.
During the project’s first phase, researchers explored our world’s past, present, and future in decarbonization. They published nine white papers with their findings and recommendations for how we should move forward with decarbonization. In “Distributed Effects of Climate Policy: A Machine Learning Approach,” co-authors Christopher Knittel (George P. Shultz Professor; Professor of Applied Economics; Director, CEEPR) and Tomas Green, SM ’20, ran several decarbonization policies through their machine learning model and found that carbon pricing, or taxing carbon emissions, is the most effective and socioeconomically equitable way to transition to a low-carbon economy.
History is littered with lots of transitions that have left certain groups behind. What we hope to do is provide a framework or set of tools for policymakers to keep that from happening as we decarbonize the economy.
For phase two, researchers examined decarbonization efforts in four U.S. regions: the Industrial Heartland, Appalachia, the Gulf Coast, and New Mexico. The resulting case studies were shared with state and federal policymakers to give them the tools and information to make informed decarbonization policy decisions. The current third phase of the project involves examining the grid, steel, and mining industries to develop methods for decarbonizing in a socioeconomically equitable way.
Looking ahead
Along with the Institute's commitment of $50 million in resources to jumpstart the Climate Project at MIT, MIT Sloan will contribute $25 million to endow a new climate policy center led by Knittel. Together, these funds will allow for early advances and express the seriousness of MIT's intentions to potential partners around the world.
MIT CEEPR
MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research
Since 1977, the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR) has been a focal point for research on energy and environmental policy at MIT.
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MIT News
The Climate Project at MIT
Richard Lester describes an emerging new initiative that will back climate efforts at the Institute and find outside partnerships to drive actionable innovation.
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Press
MIT Sloan to launch new climate policy center with $25 million investment
As part of the new Climate Project at MIT, the center will create and strengthen connections between leading climate researchers and policymakers.
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